A female terminal has been known from before in which a spring contact member (an elastic contact plate) is disposed inside the female terminal body in order to press against and hold a male terminal. For example, in Patent Literature 1 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,014), a method is disclosed in which this spring contact member is installed inside a female terminal body. In the method disclosed in Patent Literature 1, first a belt-shaped substrate is extended to a plate-shaped substrate comprising the female terminal, the belt-shaped substrate is bent, and a section corresponding to a spring contact member is formed. Next, the belt-shaped substrate is folded so that the section corresponding to the spring contact member abuts the plate-shaped substrate. Then, a section protruding to the outside is cut along the opening of the female terminal. Through this, the spring contact member is formed.
The spring contact member (elastic contact plate) of the female terminal disclosed in Patent Literature 1 comprises an arch-shaped section that contacts a male terminal, and an extending piece that extends from the end of the arch-shaped section toward an opening into which a male terminal is inserted and contacts the inner surface of the female terminal body. With this kind of female terminal, the entire surface of one of the surfaces of the extending piece preferably contacts the inner surface of the female terminal body. However, when forming the elastic contact plate through the above-described cutting process, there are cases in which the tip of the extending piece contacts the inner surface of the female terminal body through tension at the time of the cutting process. In such cases, when the male terminal is inserted into the female terminal, the position or surface area of the contact section of the elastic contact plate on the inner surface of the female terminal body changes in accordance with insertion of the male terminal, so pressure holding the male terminal is unstable. As a result, holding the male terminal with the appropriate pressure becomes difficult. In addition, due to variance in tension at the time of the cutting process, the shape of the end of the elastic contact plate, the contact position, the surface area and/or the like vary, so that variance in properties arises among products.
In consideration of the foregoing, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a female terminal that can hold a male terminal with appropriate pressure, and a female terminal production method.
A female terminal according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes:
a conductive, tube-shaped main body; and
an elastic contact plate supported inside the main body, possessing conductivity and elasticity, and extending from one opening toward another opening into which a male terminal is inserted;
wherein the elastic contact plate comprises:
a first section that faces an inner surface of the main body and is separated from the inner surface;
a first contactor that is positioned on the other opening side of the first section and contacts the inner surface;
a second section that extends in an arch shape toward the other opening from the first contactor; and
a second contactor that is positioned on the other opening side of the second section and contacts the inner surface;
wherein the main body supports the elastic contact plate so that the first contactor and the second contactor are able to slide on the inner surface; and
the first section is thinner than the second section.
The first contactor may be such that a surface contacting the inner surface is bent.
The female terminal may further comprise two wings protruding from both sides near an apex of the second section extending in an arch shape;
and in the main body, holes may be provided for receiving the protruding two wings.
The female terminal may further comprise protrusions disposed near the one opening of the main body and pressing a surface of the first section that does not face the inner surface in the direction of the inner surface.
A female terminal production method according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes steps of:
preparing a substrate comprising a plate-shaped section that is conductive and plate-shaped, and a belt-shaped section that is conductive and plate-shaped and extends from one side of the plate-shaped section;
forming a thin plate section by thinning a portion of the belt-shaped section of the substrate;
mountain-folding the vicinity of an end on a tip side of the belt-shaped section, of ends of the thin plate section;
forming in an arch shape a section on the tip side of the mountain fold section of the belt-shaped section;
bending the belt-shaped section so that the belt-shaped section faces the plate-shaped section, and causing the end of the section formed on the arch and the mountain fold section to abut the plate-shaped section;
causing the belt-shaped section to be supported on the plate-shaped section such that the sections of the belt-shaped section abutting the plate-shaped section are able to slide on the plate-shaped section;
forming the plate-shaped section into a tube shape so as to enclose the belt-shaped section; and
cutting off a connecting section between the belt-shaped section and the plate-shaped section formed into the tube shape.
A female terminal production method according to a third aspect of the present disclosure includes steps of:
producing a main body that is conductive and tube-shaped;
producing an elastic contact plate that is conductive and comprises a plate-shaped section in which a portion of one side is missing, a curved section that is curved from an end of the plate-shaped section so as to form a convex surface, and an arch-shaped section that extends in an arch shape from the curved section;
causing the convex surface of the curved section and the end of the arch-shaped section to contact the inner surface, so that the side of the plate-shaped section faces an inner surface of the main body near one opening of the tube-shaped main body; and
causing the elastic contact plate to be supported by the main body so that the sections in contact with the inner surface are able to slide on the inner surface.